Cast: Vinod Khanna, Kunal Khemu, Soha Ali Khan, Boman Irani, Mahesh Manjrekar, Simone Singh, Cyrus Broach
There is nothing more frustrating than being caught in 99, where only one race can bring glory or lack of it can do all the hard work seems a waste. The Laurel and Hardy release this Friday 99 are trapped in a similar situation. The world is your playing field, and against is his game.
The year is 1999. Sachin (Kunal Khemu) and Zaramud (Cyrus Broach) are the Laurel and Hardy in our history. They make fake SIM cards and are absorbed into a bigger mess when they steal and a gangster Mercedes crash while fleeing police. To save his skin, the duo are forced to work for the General Shareholders ganglord (Mahesh Manjrekar), a bookie and has a long list of people to get their money from. The list is Rahul (Boman Irani), addicted to gambling are always looking for "signs" and "signs" and omens favorable or unfavorable to bet or wager your money, if any. AGM
Laurel and Hardy sent to Delhi to recover money from Rahul. Before the duo to go about their dirty work, Laurel lost her heart to Pooja (Soha Ali Khan). Not only this, the two thieves also end up losing money by force to recover from Rahul. Thereafter, it begins a mad chase, where he faces the rugged Laurel thugs kicks and punches, while the barrel of a Hardy spends most of his time in the bathroom, unloading the butter chicken the night before.
The director duo Raj Nidimoru and D.K. Krishna is to be commended for making a refreshing and delightful movie with extensive funny moments. The humor in the movie - expressed in crunch situations and dialogue - not the kind we see in typical no-brainers Bollywood. It is sometimes witty, sometimes pure slapstick. Note that the sequence of Delhi to be a strange city where girls are named Pooja or Neha, where it is cold in March, spoiled children to loud music in cars, and where everyone is out to steal their stuff. All these things actually transpire in the dismantling of the plot.
Although the pace of the film drops in some places, the performances by the cast keeps you hooked for most of the film. Kunal Khemu is totally at ease playing his character, while Cyrus Broach goes above a few times. Boman Irani has the meatiest role in the film and convincingly slips into his character of an employee in a foreign company whose wife has left him because of his gambling addiction. Soha Ali Khan has a brief role and plays it well. Mahesh Manjrekar is a delight to see.
Most surprising of all is an actor named Amit Mistry who plays a diminutive thug out to recover their money from Rahul. There is also a stunning cameo by Vinod Khanna, as a cricket match fixing.
The music of the film and photography are top grade and not once do they hinder the flow of history.
With its tight script, good performances and a refreshingly different story ", 99 turns out to be a total paisa vasool film not only for its characters but also to the public.
Give it a shot.
Rating: ***
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